Published 11:18 pm, Thursday, May 30, 2013

DARIEN -- Erika Osherow's stretch of 13 consecutive no-hit innings propelled the Darien High School girls' softball team into the Class LL state tournament's quarterfinal round. Osherow, coming off a no-hit win in the first round of the tournament, pitched a one-hitter, lifting the No. 4 Blue Wave to a 3-0 win over No. 13 Naugatuck at Darien High on Thursday afternoon.

Darien (18-4) earned a rematch with familiar FCIAC foe in Stamford in Friday's quarterfinal round. The Greyhounds' season ended with a record of 15-7.

Osherow allowed only a seventh-inning leadoff single to Kara Klimaszewski. She struck out four batters and worked around one error in each of the first two innings. She did not issue a walk.

The Blue Wave got all of the offense Osherow needed in the second inning by plating a pair of runs. Avery Malley tripled in Rebecca DeMaio with the first run. Emily Moscatello doubled home the second. Darien added a run in the third as well.

Osherow credited her teammates for coming through defensively and with some timely hits early on.

"Today was all the defense. They backed me up on every play. I couldn't have done it without them," said Osherow, who tossed four no-hitters during the regular season and nearly made it two for two to begin the state playoffs. The Darien pitcher helped her own cause by snaring a few sharply hit line drives back to the pitching circle.

"One hit in 14 innings. She's definitely in a good place right now," Darien Coach Nick DeMaio said. "When she has good command it just makes it so much easier for her, and she's in front of hitters."

"She had command of all of her pitches. She had command of the plate inside and outside," Naugatuck Coach Kevin Wesche added.

DeMaio likes what he sees in his team, overall, this postseason. "A good solid performance, good attitude and good energy," the coach said.

The only thing DeMaio was a little disappointed about was hit team's lack of offense. Darien produced only six hits against Naugatuck pitchers Nina Kosciuszek and Jenna Miller, who pitched the final three innings.

"The first few innings we came out swinging the bats and making some things happen," said DeMaio, adding that the Wave may need more offensive production throughout the game against Stamford.

"It will take more runs than this," DeMaio said of his team's hopes of winning in the next round.

"I think we're definitely ready. It will be a challenge for us but it's part of the journey and we're definitely looking for revenge," Osherow said.